: 10.56472/25835238/IRJEMS-V5I9P107Ngo Thi Hong Hanh, Nguyen Phuoc Quang Nhan, Truong Thi Tuyet "Promoting Vietnam's Floating Market Culture to International Visitors" International Research Journal of Economics and Management Studies, Vol. 5, No. 9, pp. 74-83, 2026. Crossref. https://doi.org/10.56472/25835238/IRJEMS-V5I9P107
This study analyzes the current state of floating market culture in Vietnam and evaluates the factors that play a significant role in promoting this cultural heritage to international audiences. Based on a review of the literature on shopping, cuisine, social interaction, and artistic activities at floating markets, the study employs a qualitative approach to systematize key cultural characteristics and the current state of these activities. In addition, the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (Fuzzy-AHP) is applied to determine the priority levels of different groups of promotional factors. Evaluation data were collected from 11 experts with knowledge and experience in culture, tourism, communications, service infrastructure, and public administration related to floating markets. The findings identify five groups of factors ranked in descending order of priority: cultural distinctiveness and values (C01), with a weight of 0.2983; communication and promotional methods (C03), with a weight of 0.2073; service infrastructure and safety (C02), with a weight of 0.2031; environmental and landscape conservation (C04), with a weight of 0.1545; and policy support (C05), with a weight of 0.1367. Among these factors, cultural distinctiveness and values receive the highest priority, indicating that preserving and showcasing values associated with local livelihoods, everyday life, and river-based cultural spaces constitute a fundamental basis for promoting floating market culture. Based on these findings, the study proposes groups of solutions for enterprises and household businesses, government agencies, tourists and international visitors. The proposed solutions focus on preserving cultural values, improving the quality of communication and promotional activities, enhancing infrastructure and safety, protecting the environment, and strengthening the participation of local communities.
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Promotion, Floating Market Culture, Vietnam, International Visitors.